Could the Cowboys make a shocking trade during the 2025 NFL Draft?

Would the Dallas Cowboys flip edge-rusher Micah Parsons for the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft?

In a Thursday interview with KRLD-FM in Dallas, Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio said he's heard the Cowboys have considered moving up from No. 12.

"I did hear yesterday ... you hear all sorts of stuff — and I don't like to traffic in stuff because I don't know how accurate it is — but I did have somebody tell me that the Cowboys have talked to the Tennessee Titans about moving up to No. 1 [in the draft].

"Now, I think a lot of teams talk about moving around, and I don't know if you guys have heard that," Florio continued. "But that's a jump, and I don't know what you would have to put into that or whether you'd have to put Micah Parsons."

A trade package with four-time Pro Bowler Parsons could convince Tennessee to give up the No. 1 pick. 

Parsons is set to play on the fifth-year option in 2025 but is seeking an extension. Dallas, however, is cap-strapped. According to Over the Cap's salary cap tracker, the Cowboys have $3.861M in cap room. Trading Parsons would yield $24.007M in cap savings for Dallas. 

The 2025 class includes a potential Parsons replacement in Penn State edge-rusher Abdul Carter, who tied for the FBS' second-most pressures (66 in 16 games) in 2024 (via Pro Football Focus). Carter (6-foot-3, 250 pounds) has already learned some of Parsons' moves. 

On Wednesday, at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Carter told the media Parsons — a former Penn State star — "took [him] under his wing" before the start of the 2024 season.

The Cowboys should still monitor the stress reaction in Carter's right foot. If the injury proves to be a nonconcern, perhaps Dallas should add him to its watch list. 

Parsons' future with Dallas seems uncertain, especially if the Cowboys could move up to No. 1 and take Carter to succeed him.